After ten years of negotiations, the Government of Canada and the Inuvialuit signed the Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA) June 5, 1984. It was the first comprehensive land claim agreement signed north of the 60th parallel and only the second in Canada at that time.
In the IFA, Inuvialuit agreed to give up their exclusive use of their ancestral lands in exchange for certain other guaranteed rights from the Government of Canada. The rights came in three forms: land, wildlife management and money.
Inuvialuit Final Agreement Principles
The basic goals of the IFA, as expressed by the Inuvialuit and recognized by Canada, are to:
- Preserve Inuvialuit cultural identity and values within a changing northern society.
- Enable Inuvialuit to be equal and meaningful participants in the northern and national economy and society.
- The IFA’s economic principles are expressed by the need for full Inuvialuit participation in the northern Canadian economy through the development of an adequate level of economic self-reliance and a solid economic base. The establishment of Inuvialuit Development Corporation helped to fulfill this goal.
- Protect and preserve the Arctic wildlife, environment and biological productivity.
IFA-101 Website
IFA-101 illustrates IRC’s commitment to increasing the understanding and importance of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement. This website currently houses a digital version of the IFA document – indexed and searchable.
IFA-101 is thanks to the joint efforts of all Inuvialuit organizations and co-management boards and we welcome and encourage beneficiaries as well as All Canadians, this land claim was signed with Canada, to take part in educating themselves regarding the responsibilities of implementation outlined in the Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA).
Inuvialuit Trust
Under the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, each Inuvialuit enrolled as a beneficiary shall share equally in the benefits received by various Inuvialuit corporations and distributed through the Inuvialuit Trust.
Each eligible Inuvialuit eighteen years or older shall be entitled to enrol as a beneficiary and upon acceptance shall receive a non-transferable trust unit certificate (or just say a “trust certificate”) in the Inuvialuit Trust.